Canadian Jamall Lee signed with the NFL's Panthers on Sunday, and now is expected to be taken in this weekend's CFL draft.
Some time on Saturday, Jamall Lee will be drafted by a Canadian Football League team.
And while Lee will be honoured with the selection, likely in the first round, the B.C. native will be too busy with the Carolina Panthers to truly appreciate the moment.
The Panthers signed the strapping 22-year-old running back, who stands 6-foot-1, weighs 225 pounds and runs incredibly fast for a big man, to a free-agent deal on Sunday moments after the 2009 National Football League Draft ended.
The Panthers were impressed enough by what Lee did in his four-year career at Bishop's University to take a shot on him. He amassed more than 4,200 rushing yards in his career and led the nation in rushing last season.
The Panthers have a mini camp this weekend, coinciding with the CFL Draft, so Lee won't be sitting around waiting for the news.
"I’d like to know what’s happening in the CFL Draft because it’s really still a big deal for me, but other than that I’ll try to keep my mind on the task at hand," Lee said.
The Panthers had talked to Lee heading into the Draft, letting him know they might sign him as a free agent. Some 10 minutes after the Draft, they gave him the word.
"It’s definitely a dream come true," he said.
Lee has an interesting pedigree. His father Orville had a brief but flashy CFL career. The Ottawa Rough Riders selected him first overall in 1988 and he led the CFL in rushing that season. He won the CFL's rookie of the year and finished as the runnerup in the voting for the league's Outstanding Canadian award.
Jamall has been compared in many ways to Jesse Lumsden, both in size and production in Canadian college ball. Lumsden, also a son of a CFL running back, had a glorious career when he played at McMaster University. Lumsden signed with Seattle as a free agent after he passed through the NFL Draft four years ago. The Ticats selected him in the first round, sixth overall, in the CFL Draft that year. After the Seahawks cut him before the start of the regular season, he joined the Ticats and did reasonably well. He then signed a free-agent deal with the Washington Redskins, but again found himself cut loose in the final cuts.
Lumsden started parts of three seasons with Hamilton, but shoulder injuries the last two seasons prevented him from fully realizing the talent level he showed in university. He signed with Edmonton as a free agent in February, looking for a new start and the Eskimos are going to give him every opportunity to be their feature back.
There is talk the B.C. Lions will select Lee in the first round on Saturday and provide an interesting hometown story. The Lions have the fourth, fifth and sixth picks overall and can afford to wait on Lee if he sticks with the Panthers.
"It’s a huge jump," he said. "I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous or anything like that, but I have a lot of people who have been through the experience, whether the NFL or the CFL, and they’ve all been passing their knowledge on to me, so I feel I’m prepared that way," he said.
Similar to Lumsden, Lee will likely have to make an impression on special teams, possibly as a kick returner, to make a serious, lasting impression.
"When I get down there, I’ve got to give them a reason for me to stay, make sure they know I'm hungry and I want to be part of this team and am willing to work hard," he said.